


Bright and Blinking Evil

by musicals_musicals



Series: Newsies Stuff [3]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, crutchie is a fantastic barista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 11:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15795639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicals_musicals/pseuds/musicals_musicals
Summary: Our families have been having an unspoken Christmas lights competition since you moved here and now I’ve finally met my rival.





	Bright and Blinking Evil

Race walked out of his house and was immediately blinded by lights. He looked away and started walking to the coffee shop quickly to avoid getting a headache. His parents and the people across the street had been having an unspoken Christmas light competition for as long as he could remember. The lights covered his front yard in neat rows, his family spent two hours getting all the lights up and now they could be seen from space. He looked at the house across the street, it looked like they were only halfway done, they probably took a break from the cold. Race had never met the people across the street, his parents had but he had opted to stay home and avoid social interaction. Supposedly they had a son but Race had no interest in meeting him.

He walked into the coffee shop and a bell dinged, his eyes were immediately drawn to a cute boy sitting at a table looking cold and annoyed, but he made his way to the counter instead. Crutchie was working the counter as usual, he wasn’t the best at carrying trays to tables, but he was friendly and people liked him so the coffee shop hired him immediately. It was helpful for Race because Crutchie was his friend and the coffee shop was where he practically lived during the school year.  "Hey Crutch, can get a hot chocolate" Race asked before getting distracted by the cute boy again.

Crutchie smiled “Coming right up”

Race nodded towards the boy “Who’s that?” If he came here a lot Crutchie might know him.

Crutchie had a weird ability to remember people’s names, even if he only met them once. It was an ability Race envied; he couldn’t remember anyone’s name and it caused him trouble occasionally.

He leaned over the counter to see who Race was looking at “His name is Spot. He comes in here almost as much as you do I think he lives in the neighborhood”

Race turned back to Crutchie “Really? I’ve never seen him” He was bad with faces, but the boy was cute enough that Race figured he would remember meeting and most likely flirting with him. “Name’s Spot?”

“You go by Racetrack, I don’t think you’re in a position to tease people about their nicknames” Crutchie pointed out “He usually comes in around eight and you show up around eleven” he explained

That explained it, Race tried to avoid being awake before ten, Cute boy must be a morning person “He’s cute”

Crutchie handed Race his drink “Ask him out!”

“I was planning on it” Race paid quickly and walked over to sit down at Spot’s table “My name is Race”

Spot glared at him “What do you want?”

Race smirked, he had a very strong Brooklyn accent “I want to get to know the cute boy sitting in this coffee shop”

“Okay…” Spot stared at Race, clearly wondering what he thought he was doing

Race leaned closer “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

“Really? That’s the direction you want to go in?” Spot asked disbelievingly. The last time he heard that pick up line was in fourth grade.

Race pouted “I love crappy pick up lines” He turned back to the counter “Crutchie aren’t pick up lines the best?”

Crutchie turned away from a customer and rolled his eyes at Race’s question “You are the only person who thinks that, now let me do my job”

Spot laughed “Told you” he held out his hand “I’m Spot”

“I know”

Spot looked confused “How do you- Crutchie you traitor!”

Crutchie smiled apologetically and shrugged. Race took Spots hand anyway and he didn’t seem to mind “Wow your hand is really cold, what were you doing?”

“My parents were making me help put up Christmas lights” Spot looked annoyed “They make me help every year and I can’t wear gloves because they want everything exact, and gloves mess it up apparently ”

“That sucks, my parents do the same thing” Race agreed “Once I fell off the roof while putting up lights and my parents didn’t notice”

“My dad accidentally attached me to our roof using lights, it got wrapped around my foot and it took him twenty minutes to untangle me” Spot said unzipping his coat.

Race laughed at the mental image of Spot lit up like a Christmas tree on a roof “What do you do other than put up Christmas lights?”

“I don’t know my life is pretty empty without decorations” Spot said sarcastically

“I don’t believe that, you look very exiting” Race reached out to poke Spot arm, but pulled his hand back when he realized Spot didn’t seem like a physical contact person. “I bet you bake and rob banks in your free time” He theorized

“Of course”

“See?”

Spot rolled his eyes “No” Race was about say something but Spots phone beeped and he dug it out of his pocket. “Sorry, I need to finish helping my parents put up lights,” He stood up and pulled his coat on.

“I’ll walk you home” Race declared putting his coat on and following Spot out of the cafe with a quick wave to Crutchie. He took Spot’s phone and put in his phone number “Now you can text me”

Spot pulled back his phone and sent a text to Race so he would know who it was, then he put it back in his jacket pocket “You don’t need to walk me home”

Race pouted “I want to, I live in this direction anyway” he pulled out his phone “I wonder who’s texting me?”

Spot elbowed him “It’s a mystery” He said and kept walking. There were worse things than a cute italian following you home. Not that Spot would ever admit it; but he was glad he would get more time with Race considering they hadn’t even known each other for two hours. When his crazy parents told him to take a break from putting up lights he was not expecting it to end with him getting a cute boys phone number. “Just a warning my parents put up a lot of lights”

“People get weird with holidays” Race agreed. He was regretting not wearing a warmer coat, the temperature had dropped and it started snowing. He leaned closer to Spot hoping Spot wouldn’t push him away. Spot didn’t seem to mind so Race cautiously threaded their fingers together. “Which house is yours?”

“It’s over there” Spot pointed down the road in the direction of Race’s house.

“Wait…” Race trailed off as a thought occurred to him. Spots parents put up a ridiculous amount of lights, they were only halfway done and Race’s neighbors had a son that was his age “Is your house the red one with black trim?”

Spot looked confused “Yeah, how do you know that?”

“I live across the street from you” Race explained. Of all the cute boys in the world he managed to meet the one from the family his father claimed ‘Had a evil amount of Christmas spirit and a despicable plan to make our house seem boring’ He used the exact same speech every year to the point that Race’s little sisters had memorized it and started composing a song.

Spot stopped walking and looked at him “You’re the reason I have to help my parents put up christmas lights!” Spot punched him lightly in the arm “I hate christmas lights!”

Race laughed “It wasn’t my idea, once I got back from vacation and instead of saying hello or letting me sleep my father made me put up lights” he defended

While Race and Spot were arguing they had finally gotten back to the house and Spot’s mom noticed them from the front yard “Sean hurry up! The Higgins already finished putting up their lights we’re losing” She noticed Spot wasn’t alone “Who are you?”

Race burst into laughter and Spot rolled his eyes trying to stifle a laugh “Your last name is Higgins?”

“And your name is Sean” Race replied “Nice to meet you Mrs Spots mom”

“Call me Alice. Are you?” She trailed off looking between Race and his house

“I am a representative of the Higgins family” Race bowed sarcastically “Nice to meet you”

Spot rolled his eyes “Nice”

“Antonio why are you standing in the street?”  Marie had been watching from the window expecting her son to come inside but instead he had been standing in the street for fifteen minutes.

Race had an idea, it probably wasn’t a good idea but he tended to go through with whatever he came up with. He nudged Spot “Are you out?”

Spot looked confused as to why Race wanted to have this conversation in the middle of the street with both of their parents present “Yes, why?”

Race grinned “Because then I am going to settle this for good” he pulled Spot closer; giving him a chance to pull away. When Spot offered no resistance he pulled him the rest of the way and kissed him.

Spot leaned closer and deepened the kiss before he remembered that he was standing in the middle of a street. He slowly pulled away and Race made a sad squeaking sound. “Mom can Race come over?” There definitely needed to be more kissing in the near future.

“I guess. Leave the door open” Alice said with a smirk. She turned to Race’s mom “Would you like to come over for dinner, we have plenty of food”

Marie smiled “I would love to”

The Christmas light competition wasn’t exactly settled, but it was no longer unspoken. Instead the two families continued to compete then argued about who won for the next year until Christmas rolled around again. It was a perfect tradition.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I got the prompt from Pinterest, but I could be wrong. 
> 
> Also posted on tumblr @musicals-musicals


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